[MOUSEHOLE]

Hi All, I tryed to do a back up disk when we got our new laptop, But god knows what i did wrong & lost some of the drivers.
A mate at work said he would fix it which he did sort of.
He put vista ultimate on my pc, But when i got the laptop it came with vista premium. He wipe all the premium off to put ultimate on.
Please how can i have my proper vista premium back please help.
Thank you.

[etaf]

make and model of PC
Its possible the recovery partition is still there to restore the PC (this is used to make the CDs)
different manufacturers use different F keys
typically F11 or F10 or F8

or you could go onto the manufacturers website and get replacement CDs - I know HP and Dell offer this service

[rainforest123]

mousehole:
Hello & welcome to TG Forum.

We need:
1. brand, model, model # of your computer. A product information page from the manufacturer would be wonderful.

2. If not a big box manufactured computer, what is the motherboard brand, model & model #?

3. Which optical disks for the computer have you? Do you have an original Microsoft Vista DVD? Do you have an OEM operating system DVD?

4. RIGHT click the start orb / button.
Left click "properties"
Left click "customize"
Scroll down. Look for the run command. If no check in the box, left click on the box to put a check in it. Left click OK
start > run
Type: winver
Left click "ok"

5. RIGHT click "computer".
Left click "properties"
Which version of Windows is listed?
32 or 64 bit?
Which service pack?

6. Would you describe yourself as an advanced, intermediate or beginning computer user?

7. Open "computer".
open your C:
Look for a folder called "windows.old"

If you do NOT see it:
start > control panel
set it to classic view
open "folder options"
tools tab
In the big area w/ white background
Make notes, on a piece of paper, of the settings. Change them if necessary.
select "show hidden & system files"
uncheck "hide extensions for known file types"
uncheck "hide protected . . . "
Left click "yes"
Left click "ok"

If you don't see Windows.old, return to the system folder and change the settings back to where they were.

RF123

[MOUSEHOLE]

Hi, It`s a Toshiba, Satellite L300D-13s system unit.
We got it from pc world & it came with no disks.
We are all beginers.
Hope this helps.

[rainforest123]

It is a start.

Continue by providing the rest of the requested information, such as the presence of a folder called "windows.old" [ without the quotes ].

RF123

[etaf]

you dont get CDS these days as you have to make these yourself, when you first get the PC (quite simple I made some just last week)

I think its F8 on toshiba to get to recovery manager menu as it boots

But see if you still have a partition
Start
control panel
admin tools
computer management
disk management
post back what is listed

You can get replacement recovery discs here
https://backupmedia.toshiba.eu/

[rainforest123]

Go here.
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/t.../jsp/home.jsp#
Left click "product support".
Find your laptop. I can't find the 13s.

I might have the wrong country.

RF123

[rainforest123]

This http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/t...ily=1073768663 might be similar.

Using the binocular [ search ] icon, type in: recovery
In the results area, click on the items one at a time. Find information about how to access your system recovery files.

If your associate used a non Toshiba DVD to install Vista, she / he might have deleted the recovery partition. That would be not good.

RF123

[etaf]

I suspect UK as mention of PC World
http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.c...UCT_ID=1059357

user manual
http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.c...jsp?service=UK

[rainforest123]

Ok. I cannot argue, as I am not presently in the UK. I know that PC World Magazine is available in multiple countries. At www.pcworld.com , one can purchase computers.

RF123

[etaf]

Page 3-8 on the user manual I posted
refers to a 1.5GB hidden partition
and F8 is the key to use as it boots to get to recovery

If you mate DID NOT format the whole drive and destroy this partition you should be able to set back to factory condition from here

[rainforest123]

If you mate DID NOT format the whole drive and destroy this partition you should be able to set back to factory condition from here

We can only hope, at this point.

RF123

[etaf]

Mousehole

Quite a lot of replies from myself and rainforest123

If you could work through them and answer ALL the questions raised from both of us that would help us a lot

[Rich-M]

To access the Toshiba recovery partition, shut down the laptop. Hold down the 0 (zero) key andpress the laptop power button. Keep holding down the zero key until the TOSHIBA logo appears, where you should start tapping the zero key repeatedly. Stop if the unit beeps or when the TOSHIBA logo disappears. The screen should flash ** HDD RECOVERY MODE ** for a split second, then load the Toshiba recovery program right from the hard drive. This is a destructive recovery so it will return the laptop to the day you got it removing all new files and data.

[rainforest123]

m h:
I should have added that the reason to look for windows.old is because that is probably where YOUR files [ documents, images, music, email, etc ] were placed when Vista was re-installed. Again, we can only hope that such was the case.

RF123